About

Number of years practice: 31 Principal practice areas: Energy projects Bar admissions: Louisiana, Texas, Peru (inactive) Languages spoken: English, French and Spanish

Corporate and energy specialist José Valera was a member of the Mayer Brown task force that tracked and analysed the development of Mexico’s energy reforms throughout 2013-14, a process that put him in an optimal position to advise clients on the opportunities presented by the opening up of the hydrocarbons and electricity sectors. He subsequently played a key role in the opening of the firm’s office in Mexico City in 2015 and today divides his time between there and the firm’s Houston office. Recent headline mandates saw him co-lead the team advising Total on its acquisition of the upstream, mid-stream and downstream oil-and-gas assets, as well as thermo-power plants from Petrobras, a $2.2bn project which also had a substantial Mexican aspect. He is currently representing GE in its acquisition of a 49% ownership interest in a Mexican project company developing a 249MW wind power project in the country. Valera counts major Mexican corporates such as CEMEX among his key clients.